Stanford University

Stanford University was founded in 1885 and occupies one of the largest university campuses in the United States, on the San Francisco peninsula between San Jose and San Francisco. Its schools cover engineering, humanities and sciences, business, law, medicine, education and sustainability.

Its relationship with the surrounding technology industry is unusually close and long-standing, and that proximity shapes research funding, entrepreneurship programmes and graduate destinations across engineering and business in particular.

Undergraduate study is broad before it is specialised, with requirements across several areas of knowledge, and the quarter system means three teaching terms a year rather than two semesters.

Admission is highly selective at both undergraduate and graduate level.

• An outstanding secondary record with a demanding subject load, for undergraduate entry.
• Essays and recommendations, read closely as evidence of intellectual engagement.
• Standardised testing requirements as published for the current admission cycle.
• English proficiency evidence where required, with graduate departments sometimes setting a higher bar than the university minimum.
• For graduate programmes: a strong bachelor's degree, statement of purpose, letters of recommendation and departmental requirements that vary widely, including GRE where a department still asks for it.

Stanford publishes a cost of attendance by level and school, with Bay Area housing making the non-tuition part unusually large.

• One rate regardless of nationality.
• Cost of attendance includes housing, food, insurance, books and personal expenses — and Bay Area housing costs push this well above the tuition line.
• Graduate fees are charged by unit or by quarter in many programmes, so course load affects the bill.
• Undergraduate aid is need-based and international applicants are considered.
• Doctoral students are generally funded through fellowships and assistantships arranged with the department.
• Mandatory health insurance unless equivalent cover is shown.

US costs are quoted as a "cost of attendance" — tuition plus housing, food, insurance, books and fees — and that total, not the tuition line, is what a visa application and your budget need. Work from Stanford's cost of attendance for your level and programme for your specific programme and year of entry — it is the only figure that will be correct for you, and it is republished every year. We will confirm the current cost and what it includes before you commit to an application.

Stanford assesses undergraduate aid on financial need, and funds doctoral students in most departments through a combination of fellowships and assistantships. It also hosts a separately administered graduate fellowship programme that funds students across its schools and is applied for on its own timetable.

• Need-based undergraduate aid — assessed on financial circumstances.
• Doctoral funding packages — fellowships and assistantships arranged through the department.
• Separately administered graduate fellowships — applied for independently of admission, on their own deadline.

Check the published policy on international eligibility before applying — it differs sharply between institutions, and it is the single fact that should shape your shortlist.

A very large, low-rise campus in the San Francisco Bay Area, with a mild climate and an unusually close relationship to the technology industry around it.

• An expansive campus — arcaded sandstone quads, extensive open space, and enough distance that many students cycle between classes.
• A quarter system rather than semesters: three teaching quarters a year, each fast-paced.
• Close industry proximity — Silicon Valley is immediately adjacent, and internships, guest speakers and startup activity all reflect that in a way few campuses can match.
• Guaranteed undergraduate housing, with a wide range of residence types including themed and language houses.
• Major athletics programme and a very wide club range.
• A mild, dry climate and a largely outdoor campus life.

The quarter system is the practical adjustment: ten-week terms mean assessment arrives quickly and there is little room to start slowly.